A Spot Of Color

Hi Sara!!!!! How right you are … you can tell the light was soooo dull and flat when I shot this one … but these guys … you can see them in the trees from such a distance!!! They’re sooo cheerful looking!!! Thanks so much for stopping in!!!

Thanks, Bela!!!! I do adore the birdies!!!! So glad you liked this shot!!

Oh, Blair, thank you so much!!! I’m such a mess when it comes to reds!!! If you knew what I had to do to this shot to be happy with it, you’d laugh!!!!!

Hi Jeffrey!!!!! Thank you, hon!!!!! I could happily fill my whole portfolio with birdies!!! LOL!!!

Hiiii Maggie!!! Thank you!!! Do you have them where you are, too???

LOL!!! Mike, yes, it is a lovely hair-do!!! The fun thing about these guys is they can raise and lower their top-knot … it really adds so much to their facial expression!!!!! Glad you enjoyed!!!!!

Hi Judy!!!! I was so hoping to get a few decent cardinal shots in the snow this year!!!! Thank you!!!

Robin, thank you so much, sweetie!!!!! Yes, they are a glorious birdie!!! Especially pretty on a dull winter’s day!!!

Thank you so much, John!!!! He’s staring right at me, I think, lol!!!

Hiiiiii BigD!!!!! Thank you!!!!! I dooooo love my birdies, lol!!!

... laughing … yes, he IS a cool little birdie!!!!! But I’m sure he thinks his top-knot is glorious!!!!! And I freely admit, I doooooo spend a lot of time at the kitchen French doors, pointing and snapping away at my feathered guests!!! You’d think by now they’d be used to me!!!!!!

Hiiii Mick!!!! Thank you!!!!! It’s kind of hard to get good detail when you’re shooting through tempered French door glass AND a storm door … especially when there’s no sunlight!!! LOL!!! But I try!!!

Hiiiii Pauline!!!!!! Thank you, sweetie!!!!! They truly are a glorious color … even when the day is dull … they just seem to glow!!!

You know, it just amazes me that they’re not everywhere!!! They’re fairly hardy … although our winters are considered mild in Maryland … they’re everywhere here!!!!! I’ll have to whisper in their ears next time i see them … tell them you’re over there waiting!!! Just head for the morning sun!!!!

Hi Sally!!! Thank you, sweetie!!! It’s that wonderful 70-300mm lens!!! WHEEE!!

Hiiii Antonio!!!! Don’t try to go to the birdies, have them come to you!!! find a good window that gets sun on something outside, but not so much falling right on the window … and set feeders up within good view … then just grab your camera and a cup of coffee and sit back and wait!!!

thank you, Lisa!!!!

... laughing … Jan … you just want my cardinals!!!! I know you!!! Thank you, thank you, sweetie!!! I’ve got male and female shots in here somewhere … taken in the light … that I like much better. But I was hoping for cardinal / snow shots. So far this year, this one … without good light … will have to do!!!

Hiiii Lynnie!!!! Thank you, sweetie!!!! But no, this isn’t selective coloring. This is how gray a day it was!!!! No true sunlight at all … just the gray!!! But I think the red came through fairly well!!! Thank you again!!

Thank you, thank you!!!!! I credit the lens … it’s the Nikon 70-300mm VR … and even through double insulated French door glass plus storm door glass … it does a nice job. And it never disappoints when it comes to the bokehs. Thank you again!!!

You sweetie!!! Thank you!!!

They are darlings, aren’t they??? Thank you, sweetie!!

Thank you, Christine!!!!! They are such sweeties!!

Hi Dee!!!! Thank you!!!!

So, so true, Tina!!!!! Thank you, hon!!!

BWAHAHAHA!!!!!! I busted out laughing so hard I woke up the poor dogs!!!! LOVE it!!!! OOOO … can’t wait to try it out on the Dear Hubby!!!! Tooooo fun!!!!!!!

Hi Scott!!!! Thank you!!!! Yes!!! Isn’t it hilarious … for such a small state … there are lots of us here!!!!

Hi Sylvia!!! Thank you, hon!!

Hi Teresa!!! Thank you!!!!!

Thank you, Clive!!!! Yes, they truly do catch the eye when they come around!!

thank you, Colin, hon!!

Thank you, Vadim!!!

Hi Van!!! Thank you!!

Thank you, Gwen!!!! These guys are around my house almost daily … I feed them well, lol!!!

Hiiiiii Luda, sweetie!!!!! Thank you!!!!

ej!!! Thank you, hon!!!! Aren’t they just the sweetest!!!

Hello dear!!!!! Thank you, thank you!!!! Lovely to see you!!!

LOL!!! Or at my house!!!! We had a brood last summer … and I had about 6 of the things that would come in a group … I’m pretty sure this is one of the same bunch … they like my cookin’ I guess, lol!!!

Hi Christopher!!! Thank you so much … what a lovely critique!!!

Thank you, sweetie!!!! Coming from our best birdie lady, this is high praise!!! YAY!!!

LOL!!! They’re actually pretty shy … and always on the lookout for me to show up in the windows!!! I have to be pretty sneaky!! But yes, there was plenty of food!!!

Thanks sooooo much for visiting and for your lovely note!!!! I sooo appreciate it!!

Hiiiii DJ!!! So glad you enjoyed this one … the grey is the color of the day … there was no sunlight to work with … but I think these guys just glow all by themselves, lol!!! Thank you!!!!! Hugzz!!!

Hiiii Sandy!!!! Thank you, sweetie!!! I’m with you … the zip of the red in the white is like an electric charge!!! I love seeing them in winter!!

Hi Marie!!!! Thank you!!! Oh, it’s easy!!! You have to have a bird feeder set up near a good window … then grab a cup of coffee, your camera and wait!!! And it’s helpful to have a comfy chair, too, by the way, lol!!!

Hi Anwar!!! Thank you so much … I’m glad you like our little cardinals … they are such good fun to watch!!

OOO!!! Well, that’s not good!!! Usually once they know the food is there you can’t keep them away!!! Try this … make sure your food is black oiler sunflower seeds … make sure there’s at least a small area where you can put feed down on a flat surface, a lot of birds (cardinals) prefer to ground-feed, and go out and get some suet cakes and hang them (you’ll have to buy a weird little wire cage thing) on or very near the main feeder. If you can find a peanut suet cake (that hasn’t been recalled in the salmonella scare?) ... that would be perfect … they LOVE peanut butter … or just rub peanut butter on some pine cones. Once they know you’re a dependable food source, you should be fine!!!!! Let me know how it goes!!!!!

Thank you, sweetie!!!!

Thank you so much, Rosa .. how I love your visits and your words!!

Oh, Thank you, Bonnie!!! What a lovely note!!! So glad you enjoyed this little shot!!!!

Thank you so much!!! If you’ve never seen a cardinal, the color is a bit of a shock, probably!!!! But they truly are a magnificent creature and we love them here!!!

Hiiii Sharon!!!! Thank you so much, hon!!! Yes, I think we can start to expect jonquils and daffodils in about a month or so!!! YAY!!! The cardinals are very skittish here, too!!! I shoot mine from inside the kitchen … they come for the seeds and suet cakes I set out … but if they see any kind of movement, off they go!!!!!

Hi Carol!!! Thank you!!!

AWWW … you’re more than welcome to come visit my birdies any day!!! You know, now that you mention it, I’ve been hearing the spring birds, too!!! I heard a bluebird today!!! They start scoping out the blue bird boxes in January here, believe it or not!!! YAY!! Spring will be here soon!!

Thanks, Megan!!! Those cardinals are always so amazing in the winter!! Such a cheerful bolt!!

Oh, Gene!!!! What a wonderful comment!!! Thank you very much!!!

Thank you so much, pretty lady!!!!

thank you, sweetie!!! They are so fun!!!!

Hi Martin!!! Thank you, thank you!!!! Winter can get pretty dull, lol, so these guys really do stand out!!!!!!

Hiiii Samantha!!!! Oh, thank you so much!!!!! They are such darlings, aren’t they??

Hi Donna!!! Thank you!!

Hi Shoaib!!! Thank you!!! Aren’t they pretty??

HIiii Deb, honey … well, he may be cute but he can’t compete with your extraordinary eagles!!!! But they are awfully pretty!!!! Thank you, sweetie!!!

Awww … thanks for the fave, sweetie!!! And you’re so right … we’re always envious of what we don’t have!!!!

LOL!!! Oh Pat … I WISH!! LOL!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! Hugzzz!!!

Oh, thank you so much, Rod!!! They are here year round … and seem to do okay in winter … but I’m careful to keep the feeders full for them!!! Do you have cardinals in your neck of the woods??

Hi Doreen!!! Thank you so much!!

Hi John!!! yes, I agree the cardinals are very skittish!!! I actually coax them to me by putting out black oiler sunflower seeds … and remembering to put some down on the ground as they prefer to ground feed!!! Why not set up something interesting near a window … old wood or something … hide some seeds there … and it probably won’t take long for you to have lots of pretty red guests!!!!!

Hello Ronald!!! Thank you so much!!!! And you noticed the claws too … I’ve sat here, staring at the position of those claws, more than once. I think what throws my eye is that the bird’s left leg (right as you’re looking at it) is hidden by the branch … so all the eye sees is the claw seemingly disconnected from the bird. A bit of a very subtle optical illusion??? Thanks again for dropping in!!!!

Thanks so much Carol … I’m constantly amazed at the number of people who don’t have these birds … they’re quite hardy … and numerous here!!!!! Thanks again!!!

Bruce … forgive me for missing your note earlier!!!! Thank you!!!!

Thank you!!!!! Sooo true!!!

Hi Tracy!!!! Thank you soooo much!!!!! What a fabulous honor … and thanks, too, for letting me know!!!! WHEEEE!!!

Eran … so sorry I missed your kind note earlier!!! Thank you so so much!!!

Taylor!!! Thank you, thank you soooo much!!!!! What an honor!!! WHEEEE!!!!!

Thank you so much, Larry … so sorry I missed your note earlier!!!

A very belated thanks, Lori!!!!!! Sorry I missed seeing your congratz before now!!!! Does this mean I get to happy dance again???

Hello, hello dear Blair!!!! Thank you so much … so sorry I missed your note earlier … I think there’s something terribly wrong with my contact lenses _{laughing … ya buy that one??? nudge nudge wink wink}